Congresswoman Chellie Pingree, Chair of the House Appropriations Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Subcommittee and Congressman Jared Golden today announced $1,164,485 in federal investment has been awarded from the USDA Forest Service to develop and expand forest markets in Maine. The funds will be distributed to the University of Maine’s Advanced Structures & Composites Center, GO Lab, Inc., and Hancock Lumber Company to support effective and sustainable forest management.
“As Chair of the House Interior Appropriations Subcommittee, I understand the power of federal funds to seed innovation and support good jobs, so I’m delighted today to announce more than $1 million in U.S. Forest Service funds are coming to Maine,” said Chair Pingree. “This generous investment will bolster our forest products industry and rural economies through innovation and the creation of necessary infrastructure. Grants like these help to protect both Maine’s heritage industries, and our environment for the next generation.”
“Maine’s small businesses and universities are leading the innovation happening in our forest products industry, finding new ways to use our wood fiber and expand into new markets. I’m glad to announce these investments today to help power rural Maine’s economy and create good jobs in communities like Madison and Pittsfield,” said Rep. Golden.
The Forest Service’s Wood Education and Resource Center (WERC) Forest Markets program supports a more competitive forest products industry, playing a key role in sustaining effective forest management. Expanding markets for these products makes this work economically viable.
Details of the grants are available online below:
University of Maine, Advanced Structures & Composites Center, Orono, ME: $150,000
Project Title: Optimization of a Pilot-scale Fiberboard Manufacturing Line and Investigation of Fiberboard Manufacturing Parameters Using Underutilized Forest Resources and/or Recycled Wood-based Products
The Advanced Structures & Composites Center, located at the University of Maine, will acquire and commission a fiberboard pilot line, capable of producing both medium-density fiberboard and low-density insulating wood fiber composites. Fiberboard facilities could use a very large volume of low-grade fiber from underutilized species, thus improving forest health in the region. This project supports optimization of the pilot line, as well as evaluation of several wood fiber-based products manufactured with underutilized, low-value and/or recycled wood species and products. Wood composite panels offer a viable market alternative to pulp/paper to utilize low-grade timber. Markets for low-grade timber enable thinning to reduce hazardous fuels and support forest health.
GO Lab, Inc., Belfast, ME ($450,485)
Project Title: Funding Support for the First Insulating Wood Fiber Composite Manufacturing Facility in North America
GO Lab, Inc., is installing the first-ever continuous line for manufacturing insulating wood composites in North America. Grant funds will be used to increase the pace of commissioning the new plant. GO Lab will begin to produce, market and distribute wood fiber construction insulation in Somerset County, Maine, in late 2022. The project will help to rejuvenate an economically distressed region that has been disproportionally affected by paper mill closings.
Hancock Lumber Company, Inc., Pittsfield, ME ($564,000)
Project Title: High Efficiency Thermal Energy from Woody Biomass Residue
Hancock Lumber Company will offset electric use from the grid at its Pittsfield Sawmill through the installation of steam system upgrades and a high efficiency backpressure steam turbine. Hancock uses waste biomass from their sawmill to provide thermal energy to six onsite lumber kilns. By upgrading its boiler and installing a steam turbine, Hancock will be able to more effectively use the available biomass, for both heat and power. Generating electric power with renewable biomass waste onsite reduces Hancock’s dependence on non-renewable energy from the grid and improves plant economics. This project benefits the local economy and makes Hancock Lumber more competitive. The project also showcases how technological innovation improves sawmill competitiveness in an increasingly challenging global marketplace.
Pingree has served on the House Appropriations Committee for the past seven years and was elected Chair of the House Interior Appropriations Subcommittee in January 2021. As Chair, she oversees discretionary spending for the Department of the Interior, the Environmental Protection Agency, US Forest Service, and several agencies related to the arts and humanities.
